What the hell?? Qatar dustup. Now, Saudi Game of Thrones "red wedding", and that little shit Jared Kushner
POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Sunday, August 23, 2026 18:30
VIEWED: 4418
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This whole crisis is beyond baffling to me.
Things were going along and all of the sudden ... BAM !!
How did this happen? When did it start? What's the point? Who's behind it?
The only thing I get out of it is that I obviously didn't understand the nature of the previous quiescence.
Originally posted by G: "I coined the slogan "We Suck!"© many years ago." G is an avowed Putin-loving, pro-Russian, anti-American troll.
You have a very treasonous view of how justice in the US should work, THUGGER. In fact, you have many other treasonous views as well. You hate the election process and want to void it.
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A big fuss, and then .... we have entered the Cone of Silence.
In our last episode ... Saudi Arabia and other GCC nations imposed total sanctions on Qatar, blockaded all shipments (including food), and expelled Qataris. Saudi Arabia even threatened military action (What? In addition to their expen$ive war in Yemen?). And now, all of the sudden ... nothing.
Because in this episode .... Tillerson is urging a climb-down. Turkey has sent troops to Qatar to bolster its army. The Saudis have egg on their face. So does Trump, who has had to do a quick 180.
Quote:
Cool Qatar: Riyadh plan backfires after Trump flip-flop & Turkey ruse
Saudi Arabia’s standoff against Qatar was fraught with miscalculations and comically ill-conceived notions from the start. But now the crisis is becoming a threat to Riyadh’s own prominence and security in the Middle East.
“Almost all relationships begin and continue as mutual forms of exploitation, a mental or physical barter, to be determined when one or both parties run out of goods.” - English-American writer, W. H. Auden.
This Ramadan will surely be remembered in the Middle East by Saudi Arabia’s inflated idea of a new zealous relationship formed with the US. Following Donald Trump’s ‘Arab Summit’ visit in May, Riyadh is reinvigorated with a new sense of importance and power, and has indulged itself on just how far warm sentiments from the Trump administration can take its new government and its struggle against Iran, an enemy of convenience that gives Saudi Arabia an important role in the region. But who needs the other more? The Saudis or the Americans?
In recent days, Saudi Arabia’s bold plan to isolate tiny Qatar in a bid to get it to agree to Riyadh’s geopolitics appears to be coming off the rails. But worse than merely suffering a modicum of humiliation when Riyadh inevitably climbs down and admits its zany plan didn’t come off, there are signs that the attempt to destabilize Qatar is going to backfire. Indeed, King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s new, inexperienced government has yet to recognize, let alone even understand an important maxim in politics: ‘When in a hole, stop digging’.
Although the cataclysmic errors of going ahead with such ill-conceived plans - like backing extremists groups in Syria - could be blamed on his predecessor, his brother King Abdullah who died in 2015, Salman must accept responsibility for other mistakes, like the beleaguered campaign in Yemen, which shows no signs of ending. And now Qatar.
It’s as though the Saudis are simply incapable both of effective military strategy or any form of sage diplomacy; blinded by delusional ideas of their own capabilities and power, they blunder ahead with scant regard of the consequences, even towards themselves.
“Most worrying is that Saudi Arabia and the UAE may repeat the mistakes that were made when the Saudi leadership decided to launch a war in Yemen,” said Yezid Sayigh, a Beirut-based senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “They had no clear political strategy, based their action on false assumptions, have incurred heavy financial costs and a growing human toll, and are probably now worse off in terms of their security,”according to Livemint.com
Indeed, the swift 180-degree turn by Trump, who started off entirely behind the Saudi move but ended on a more cautious note, must have really hit Riyadh hard. After the Pentagon more or less put Trump straight on Qatar and the implications of this tiny country going rogue, the architects of this foolhardy plan were confronted by a stark reality: ‘We’ve gone too far.’
And they really have. In a matter of days, the reality has hit home: not only is Trump and Tillerman now calling for Saudi Arabia to back down on the siege, but it appears that the requisite premise of the entire idea – that the US would militarily defend the Kingdom’s huge borders – is also folly. Suddenly, the veiled threats of Saudi Arabia going further beyond just the blockade look disingenuous when any skirmishes that may result on Saudi’sNOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
After Rex Tillerson's attempted mediation, and proposed suggestion that Saudi Arabia and the other GCC states come up with a reasonable and actionable list of demands for Qatar, the Saudis and their allies came up with this list [= and its loose translation] as follows...
Quote:Thanks to
Curb diplomatic ties with Iran and close its diplomatic missions there. Expel members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and cut off any joint military cooperation with Iran. Only trade and commerce with Iran that complies with US and international sanctions will be permitted. = No talking to Shia Muslims
Sever all ties to “terrorist organisations”, specifically the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State, al-Qaida and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Formally declare those entities as terrorist groups. = Only Saudi-approved terrorists are allowed
Shut down al-Jazeera and its affiliate stations. = We don’t allow press freedom you can’t have it either. Especially one that criticises us. Shut down what is, for all its significant faults, one of the best media outlets in the world.
Shut down news outlets that Qatar funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye. = Only Saudi propaganda allowed. al-Jazeera was far too willing to report government repression during the Arab Spring. So close down all non Saudi controlled media.
Immediately terminate the Turkish military presence in Qatar and end any joint military cooperation with Turkey inside Qatar. = Qatar isn’t allowed its own diplomatic sovereignty.
Stop all means of funding for individuals, groups or organisations that have been designated as terrorists by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, the US and other countries.= Stop funding anyone who opposes Saudi or other undemocratic regimes in the ME. No democratic dissent allowed.
Hand over “terrorist figures” and wanted individuals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain to their countries of origin. Freeze their assets, and provide any desired information about their residency, movements and finances. = Hand over to us all dissidents we want to imprison or behead.
End interference in sovereign countries’ internal affairs. Stop granting citizenship to wanted nationals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Revoke Qatari citizenship for existing nationals where such citizenship violates those countries’ laws. = Hand over people we don’t like that have taken refuge in Qatar. We do the interfering (see this list of demands) not you.
Stop all contacts with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Hand over all files detailing Qatar’s prior contacts with and support for those opposition groups. = Help us oppress dissidents
Pay reparations and compensation for loss of life and other, financial losses caused by Qatar’s policies in recent years. The sum will be determined in coordination with Qatar; consent to monthly audits for the first year after agreeing to the demands, then once per quarter during the second year. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance; Align itself with the other Gulf and Arab countries militarily, politically, socially and economically, as well as on economic matters, in line with an agreement reached with Saudi Arabia in 2014; Agree to all the demands within 10 days of it being submitted to Qatar, or the list becomes invalid.= Make yourself a vassal state of Saudi, pay us money, let us control your treasury and foreign policy and agree to all this NOW. Or else, Saudi, its minions, the US and Israel will try to paint you as part of a new axis of evil.
Oh and by the way oil rules! Not the gas you and Iran want to sell!
Thanks to The Guardian for the list of demands and to Zerohedge for their translations
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/23/close-al-jazeera-saudi-a
rabia-issues-qatar-with-13-demands-to-end-blockade
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-23/saudi-hypocrisy-great-gas-war
-looming
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"Pity would be no more,
If we
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The gulf states have been able to blockade Qatar by blocking land routes thru Saudi Arabia and making inaccessible the big container ship ports in UAE.
However, Turkey has been airlifting supplies to Qatar and Iran has been shipping food in smaller ships.
Qatar's inevitable response
Quote:
Furious Qatar Balks At Saudi Ultimatum As UAE Warns Of "Parting Of Ways"
And don't forget, the USA's largest air base - from which all if its air missions in the ME originate - are in Qatar.
If there is indeed a "parting of the way, will Qatar shift its alliances? And if so, to whom?
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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake
THUGR, JONESING FOR WWIII
All those guns 1kiki, are pointed towards your beloved Russia. All those cyber capabilities, pointed right at Russia. Thanks Putin, and get ready to duck.
I'll accept your apology any time, THUGR. But I know you're not man enough to give me one
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World Cup cancelled?
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wiki article....not sure how accurate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar_and_state-sponsored_terrorism
The Arab country of Qatar, bordered by Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, has been accused of allowing terror financiers to operate within its borders. The country has been called "the Club Med for Terrorists"[1] and "most two-faced nation in the world, backing the U.S.-led coalition against the militants of the Islamic State while providing a permissive environment", in the words of one top American official, "for terrorist financiers to operate with impunity".[2] Accusations come from a wide variety of sources including intelligence reports, government officials, and journalists. The Telegraph, a British newspaper, even started a "Stop the Funding of Terror" journalism campaign.[3]
At the official level, the Qatari government pledged support for Hamas, the Palestinian group regarded as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, Egypt and Canada.[4]
One of the leaked Podesta emails from August 2014, addressed to John Podesta, identifies Qatar and Saudi Arabia as providing "clandestine," "financial and logistic" aid to ISIL and other "radical Sunni groups." The email outlines a plan of action against ISIL, and urges putting pressure on Qatar and Saudi Arabia to end their alleged support for the group.[6][7][8][9] Whether the email was originally written by Hillary Clinton, her advisor Sidney Blumenthal, or another person is unclear.[10][11]
Jamal Ahmed al-Fadl was Osama bin Laden's former business agent. He defected to the United States in 1996. In testimony to the 9/11 Commission and Congress, Al-Fadl said that Bin Laden told him in 1993 that the Qatar Charitable Society (QCS), which was later renamed to Qatar Charity, was one of Bin Laden's main sources of funding.[27]
In 2003, The New York Times wrote:[28]
"Private support from prominent Qataris to Al Qaeda is a sensitive issue that is said to infuriate George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence. After the Sept. 11 attacks, another senior Qaeda operative, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who may have been the principal planner of the assault on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, was said by Saudi intelligence officials to have spent two weeks in late 2001 hiding in Qatar, with the help of prominent patrons, after he escaped from Kuwait."
Khalifa Muhammad Turki al-Subaiy and Abd al-Rahman bin Umayr al-Nuaymi are senior-level financiers of al-Qaeda. In 2014, U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, David Cohen, announced that the two men were living freely in Qatar. Both men were on a worldwide terrorist blacklist. Al-Subaiy, as it turned out, had previously worked at the Qatar Central Bank.[3]
In response to Cohen's announcement and the release of the U.S. intelligence report, reporters from The Telegraph contacted Qatari officials. According to The Telegraph, "Qatar has refused to answer".[3]
At one time, Al-Nuaymi was the president of the Qatar Football Association. The U.S. report said that he sent more than 1.25 million British pounds per month to Al-Qaeda jihadist fighters in Iraq. He sent hundreds of thousands of pounds to fighters in Syria. The United States designated Al-Nuaymi as a terrorist in 2013. Britain sanctioned him in 2014.[3]
According to Swiss registration records, Al-Nuayimi is the founder of Alkarama, a human rights NGO based in Switzerland established in 2004 to serve as a bridge between human rights mechanisms and individuals victims of violations in the Arab World. Most of Al-Nuaymi's activities in support to al-Qaeda trace back to the time following the establishment of Alkarama, yet the charity's alleged ties with Al-Qaeda transcend Al-Nuaymi's activities.[29] Rachid Mesli, Alkarama's legal director, was arrested at the Swiss-Italian border in August 2015 due to a 2002 international warrant issued by the Algerian authorities.
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Been following this in real time, but still trying to figure out what it means. bin Salman sacked a number of high-ranking royal Saudis, two princes were killed. Seems as if he did this in a kind of pre-emptive counter-coup. In addition, the resignation of Hariri, PM of Lebanon and dual Lebanese-Saudi citizen (How can you even have a dual-citizen prime minister? That's like us having a dual US-Israeli for President. Isn't there a conflict of interest there?) seems orchestrated with KSA.
Saudi Arabia has also stated that Lebanon has "declared war" on Saudi Arabia. Since Lebanon hasn't taken any hostile action against Saudi Arabia it's a ludicrous statement. It seems that bin Salman is trying to orchestrate a war with Iran by thumping war with Lebanon, and with Lebanese involvement that is designed to bring Israel - and ultimately the USA - into the conflict. Jared Kushner has been fingered as the USA rep who offered USA support. Kushner, BTW, represents Israel's interests as much as - or more than - USA interests. It's too bad Trump listens to him.
Quote:
Was Saturday a "Red Wedding" moment for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? As the plot thickens in Riyadh, here's a roundup of the chatter on the streets...
It started off with the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a clearly orchestrated move produced and executed by his paymasters in Riyadh.
Hariri announced on a Saudi-owned channel from the Saudi capital that he was resigning his post in protest at [Iranian] foreign intervention in Lebanon's domestic affairs. The irony was lost on him.
The ostensible reason he gave, as he invoked his late father's name, was that he too is threatened with assassination.
As the day turned into evening, there were reports of explosions being heard close to the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. It transpired that Houthi rebels (linked to Iran and allied with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is partially linked to the United Arab Emirates) had fired at least one ballistic missile from Yemen towards Riyadh. It put an exclamation point on the fact that the war in Yemen is far from over - more than two years since Saudi Arabia launched operation "Decisive Storm".
As the clock inched to midnight another bombshell was dropped, this time by the Saudis: A royal decree ordering the arrest of several princes, billionaires, and notable figures, as well as the sacking of senior government officials. Some were the sons of the late King Abdullah. One was the head of the Saudi National Guard.
All three of these developments will have seismic implications, not just in Saudi Arabia, but in the region and beyond.
The resignation of Hariri, or sacking by his Saudi sponsors, should sound the alarm bells for any government that doesn't want to see another war erupt in the region.
A lot of chatter involved Israel.
It's no secret that Israel has been conducting military exercises on its northern front for several months now. While Hezbollah has been busy helping prop up the Assad regime in Damascus, Tel Aviv has been developing its missile defence systems. Sooner or later, it will want to test those in real-life scenarios, as the logic would have it.
Forcing Hariri to quit the government would help Israel frame any aggression against Lebanon as an attack on Iranian proxies.
With Gaza politically neutralised for now, following Hamas' handover of power to the Palestinian Authority, Israel could very well see this as an optimal time to attack. Such an attack would also provide a perfect opportunity for the West to test the new Saudi leadership's "moderate" credentials: Would it cheer Israel on?
In Yemen, the war has cost the Saudi economy hundreds of millions of dollars. This war, launched by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to restore Sanaa's legitimate government and put Iran in check, has failed to do either. But it has succeeded in killing thousands of innocent people, displacing millionsNOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
YEP, Israel is at the heart of this ramp up to war between Lebanon (Iran) and KSA.
And I'll bet if you dig a bit more, you'll find that little worm, Jared Kushner, buried somewhere in that shitpile of miscreants. One of Trump's problems- he's loyal to family, and just doesn't know who to trust. Probably because his depth of knowledge is paper-thin.
Quote:You will note that al Qaeda has never attacked Israel. Evidence that (1)al Qaeda is under control of the Saudis and (2) the Saudis and Israel share common interests in the Mideast
“Explosive” Leaked Secret Israeli Cable Confirms Israeli-Saudi Coordination To Provoke War
Early this morning, Israeli Channel 10 news published a leaked diplomatic cable which had been sent to all Israeli ambassadors throughout the world concerning the chaotic events that unfolded over the weekend in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, which began with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s unexpected resignation after he was summoned to Riyadh by his Saudi-backers, and led to the Saudis announcing that Lebanon had “declared war” against the kingdom.
The classified embassy cable, written in Hebrew, constitutes the first formal evidence proving that the Saudis and Israelis are deliberately coordinating to escalate the situation in the Middle East.
The explosive classified Israeli cable reveals the following:
On Sunday, just after Lebanese PM Hariri’s shocking resignation, Israel sent a cable to all of its embassies with the request that its diplomats do everything possible to ramp up diplomatic pressure against Hezbollah and Iran.
The cable urged support for Saudi Arabia’s war against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The cable stressed that Iran was engaged in “regional subversion”.
Israeli diplomats were urged to appeal to the “highest officials” within their host countries to attempt to expel Hezbollah from Lebanese government and politics.
As is already well-known, the Saudi and Israeli common cause ...
Quote:
... against perceived Iranian influence and expansion in places like Syria, Lebanon and Iraq of late has led the historic bitter enemies ...
Hmmm actually, KSA and Israel get along quite nicely and have for over 50 years
Quote:I think Israel sees Iran as its greatest foe
... down a pragmatic path of unspoken cooperation as both seem to have placed the break up of the so-called “Shia crescent” as their primary policy goal in the region. For Israel, Hezbollah has long been its greatest foe..
Quote:
which Israeli leaders see as an extension of Iran’s territorial presence right up against the Jewish state’s northern border.
This is a EXPLOSIVE thread that proves how Saudi and Israel are deliberately coordinating to escalate the situation in the MidEast. https://t.co/dMe4PnkwTf — Trita Parsi (@tparsi) 6 November 2017]
The Israeli reporter who obtained the document is Barak Ravid, senior diplomatic correspondent for Channel 10 News. Ravid announced the following through Twitter yesterday:
I published on channel 10 a cable sent to Israeli diplomats asking to lobby for Saudis/Harir and against Hezbollah. The cable sent from the MFA in Jerusalem [Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs] to all Israeli embassies toes the Saudi line regarding the Hariri resignation.
The Israeli diplomats were instructed to demarch their host governments over the domestic political situation in Lebanon – a very rare move.
The cable said: “You need to stress that the Hariri resignation shows how dangerous Iran and Hezbollah are for Lebanon’s security.”
“Hariri’s resignation proves wrong the argument that Hezbollah participation in the government stabilizes Lebanon,” the cable added.
The cable instructed Israeli diplomats to support Saudi Arabia over its war with the Houthis in Yemen. The cable also stressed: “The missile launch by the Houthis towards Riyadh calls for applying more pressure on Iran & Hezbollah.”
1 \ I published on channel 10 a cable sent to Israeli diplomatsNOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
While we're busy arguing about RUSSIA!!!, real life is sneaking up on us from behind ....
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Saudi Arabia Orders Its Citizens To Leave Lebanon Immediately
Of course, we could be tempted to think that this is just another squabble in a sandbox, but I have yet to see the USA not involve itself in the Mideast. If outright war breaks out between KSA and Lebanon (and BTW you will see Israel also involve itself) count on the deep state to insert us into the fight.
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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
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I linked a portion of this article in another thread, but I'm going to link it here too. It's about the ties between Bush and Obama and Hillary with the (now former, currently detained) movers and shakers of KSA.
Quote:There's a lot more at https://medium.com/@zachhaller/saudi-royalty-arrests-rock-clinton-obama-regime-f230a548984a
If I told you that Democratic Party lobbyist Tony Podesta, whose brother John Podesta chairs Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, is a registered foreign agent on the Saudi government’s payroll, you’d probably think I was a Trump-thumping, conspiratorial nutcase. But it’s true.
The lobby firm created by both Tony and John Podesta in 1988 receives $140,000 a month from the Saudi government, a government that beheads nonviolent dissidents, uses torture to extract forced confessions, doesn’t allow women to drive, and bombs schools, hospitals and residential neighborhoods in neighboring Yemen.
The Podesta Group’s March 2016 filing, required under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, shows that Tony Podesta himself oversees the Saudi account. At the same time, Tony Podesta is also a top campaign contributor and bundler for Hillary Clinton. So while one brother runs the campaign, the other brother funds it with earnings that come, in part, from the Saudis.
Those familiar with the Citibank cabal that assigned Obama’s cabinet prior to his election would also recognize bin Talal’s name, for his and Citibank’s instrumental role the Obama administration’s decimation of the middle class.
Pam Martens warned us back in 2012, additional emphasis added:
Citigroup was showing serious strains in 2007 but the meltdown came the week of November 17, 2008. On Monday, the firm called a Town Hall meeting with employees and announced the sacking of 52,000 workers. On Tuesday, November 18, Citigroup announced it had lost 53 per cent of an internal hedge fund’s money in a month’s time and that it was bringing $17 billion of off-balance sheet assets back onto its balance sheet. The next day brought the unwelcome tidings that a law firm was alleging that Citigroup peddled the MAT Five Fund as “safe” and “secure” then watched it lose 80 per cent of its value. On Thursday, Saudi Prince Walid bin Talal, a major shareholder, stepped forward to reassure the public that Citigroup was “undervalued” and he was buying more shares. The next day the stock dropped another 20 percent to close at $3.77. All told, Citigroup lost 60 per cent of its market value that week and 87 percent for the year to date.
Now here is where you need to pay close attention. Just one month prior to the stock meltdown, the U.S. government through its Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) had injected $25 billion into Citigroup on October 28, 2008. With a market cap of $20.5 billion on Friday, November 21, 2008, the U.S. taxpayer effectively owned this company lock, stock and barrel.
The Treasury and the Fed knew exactly whose interests they were protecting. Just 11 months earlier, Citigroup had publicized a capital raising of $12.5 billion in convertible preferred stock in a private placement?—?meaning the full details were not released to the public. The press release said the investors included Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Sandy Weill and the Weill Family Foundation.
All of this jibes with a description of bin Talal's holdings which BTW include TWITTER (majority shareholder) and Citigroup. Too bad for bin Talal that he's been arrested.
Also, remember Bandar "Bush" bin Sultan? The former Ambassador to USA, head of Saudi security services, handler of Saudi proxy terrorist forces who threatened Putin with terrorists at the Sochi Olympics?
Well, he's been arrested too.
It looks like a clean sweep of all of those close contacts with former USA-establishment politicians.
Obviously, the anti-Iranian / anti-Syrian/ terrorist-proxies gambit has gone tits-up, and Mohammed bin Salman has cleared the decks of competing princ
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